John ericsson



(No Model.)

J. ERICSSON.

SUBMARINB PROJECTILB.

w, m W J N M. Q.

. A'llivrrrzip STATES PATENT Orrrf'zis.`

JOHN nmcsspon, or New. Yonx, N.' Y;l

, suBM-ARIN'E' PROJ EcTlL E-.j-f

SPBGIIICA'JFIONV forming part ofLetters Patent Not 2.98.45@ da'tod May 1.3. 1884. 'y Aprima mod octuterv, ness.`- Nqmtaa.)

To all whom it may concern: Y and C. the tail, of the projectile, Vthe .middle f Be it known that I, JOHN ERICSSON, of the body being represented of a cylindrical form city and county `of New York, inthe State of I and of a diameter 'to iit the bore of the gun, New York, have inventedanew and useful Imi- A the head of conical form,` and thetail cylin- 5 provement in SubmarinevProjectiles, of which'l considerable length from a gun 'underwater :ing had to the accompanying drawings. l Byextensive experiments in submarine gunthe following is a specification, reference .be-

nery made under my direction I have discovered that in the discharge of aprojectile of there is always'a tendency in the rearend or tail of the projectile to Vrise immediately on leaving the gun, and consequently, th epro-v jectile has a tendency todiveor descend.'-

This is invariably the case, no matter how well the' projectile may be balanced lengthwise or how nearly its'weght may correspond with the weight ofvthe waterwhich it displaces.

The object of this invention is to overcome or counteract these tendencies, and to control in a vertical direction the course of the. `tectile; and to this end theprincipal feature of ythe invention consists in what I call a steeringplate attached to and projecting fromthe upper side of the tail or after part of the projectile, orthat side thereof which is to be placed upward in thegun, such plate l as . thereto by a hinge and controlled .by a spring presenting -its face in an outward direction from the axis of the projectile, and serving, by its action against the water andV through the resistance of the water to its motion with the projectile, to hold down the tail of the latter. This steering-plate may either have afixed attachmentA to the projectile or be attached between it and the projectile, as will b e hereinafter fully described. I

Figure 1 in the drawings is acentral longitudinal sectional view'of a projectile having my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the tail portion of the projectile and of the steering-plate thereto attached. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken in the line wie of Fig. 2. lFig. 4 is-a transverse sectionon the line y y of Fig. 2. Fig. 5.

- is a transverse section in the line .c .c of Fig. 2.

Similar lettersof reference indicate corre-- sponding parts in the several iigures.

A indicates the middle body, B the head,

'ile -might-be varied, provided always that the pro-` Vcheekpieces, d d, fastened than the bore of the gun.` The tail .is represented-with rigid longitudinally-arranged straight 'radial rings or pins a auf on itslsides and bottom, to prevent it fromturningand to Thisip'ro- 6o jecti'le,'as thus far describedoes not constitute any part of my present invention.'butis4 rep'-v resented because itj'serves as well as one of any other.' form to illustrate the invention, in' the `guide it within the bore of the gun.

,application-of whchthe form of the' projecttail 'is of sniciently reduced diameter'tofpermit theplacin'g of my`steering-plate on 'its ex- -f terior and the reception of the so-placed steering'plate within the bore'of the gun.

D `is the steering-plate, which constitutes the principal feature of my invention, represented as hinged at its forward end by a hinge b, to the exterior ofthe tail C of the projectile.

This plate may be of a length nearly equal to one-fourth of the entirelength 4of the projectile,and itsrear end should nearly reach, but need not project beyond, the rearend or base of the projectile. It hasa transverse section' -of the form of an arc, ,its exteriorconforming to the circle of the' body1A of the projectile andV tothe bore of the gun with which it is to be used. Its width may be nearlyI ninety degrees. It is so hinged or placed on the projectile that its face is .presented in a direction con forming, substantially, to the circumference of the projectile; or, in other words, its face is presented directly outward from the axis of the projectile. t l E is aspring applied between the steering plateand ,the tail ofthe projectile, and represented as held in place by being riveted or bolted at its forward end to the saidplate, and having its rear end inserted between two on the tail of the projectile and underapin'. c, which is secured in the said cheek-pieces. Thisspring'is strong enough to force outward the steering-plate' from 4the tail of the projectile beyond the circle corresponding withthe bore .of the gun, 'zoo Yas sliwn in bold outline-in Figs. 1 and 2, the hinged to the tail and having a spring applied plate then. having an outward and rearward to it to force it outward from the tail ot' the inclination relatively to the axis of the proprojectile, may be rigidly attached'to the projectile. jectile in a position substantiallyl similar to 5 e is a guard secured to the tail-piece under that in which it is represented in the drawings 5o the steering-plate, and servingto prevent the as hinged thereto,-and with such a degree of tail-piece from being pressed further in toprojection from the tail (notsutiieient to preward the tail than is suiclient to allow it to vent its entrance into the gun) as may have' pass into and out of the bore of the gun. been determinedby experiment proper to conro The projectile is placed in the bore of the trol the course of the projectile to the degree 5 5 gun, with. the steering-plate D centrally above desired in a vertical direct-ion. its axis, the spring E yielding to allow the What I claim-as my invention, and desire to said plate to approach the tail-piece, as shown secure by Letters Patent, is in Fig. 3 and in dotted outline in Figs. 1 and 1. The combination, with a submarine pro- 15 2, near enough to permit the passage of the jectile, of a steering-plate attached to its up: 6o steering-plate within the bore. When the perside, and presenting its face in an outward projectile has left the bore of the gun in its direction from the axis of the projectile, subdischarge, the steering-plate may be forced .stantially as and for the purpose herein set out by the spring E beyond the circle of the forth.

2o circumference of the body of the projectile, 2. The combination, with a submarine pro- 65 as shown in bold outline in Figs. land Zand in jectile, of a steering-plate hinged thereto, and Figs. 4 and 5; or may simply be so held out a spring betweenV the said plate and the tail-of by the said spring, as shown in dotted outline the projectile,substantiallyas and for the purin Figs.` 1 and 2, as to counteract-its tendency pose herein described.

25 to be forced inward against the tail-piece by 3. The combination, with a submarine pro- 7o the pressure of the said plate against the wajectle having a tail provided with straight ter; and in either case, the projectile beingpre' longitudinal wings or fins to prevent it from vented from turning by the fins a a a', the steerturning, of a steering-plate attached to its nping-plate will, by the resistance which its outper side, and presenting its face in an outward `adwardly and backwardly inclined face meets and upward direction from the aiisnf the pro- '7 5 from the water, counteract or overcome the jectile, to control its course inavertical direc- Y tendency of the tail of the projectile to rise and tion, substantiallyas herein described. the tendency of the projectile to dive. 4. The combinatiomwith the4 projectile hav- The spring may be made of such strength ing ribs a a a on its tail, of the hinged steer- 35 or have its strength so regulated or adjusted ing-plate D and the spring E. substantially as 8o that it nay so control in a vertical direction and for the purpose herein described. the course of the-projectile as to cause the lat- 5. The combination, with the tail ofthe proter, after it leaves the gun, to continue movjectile and the hinged steering-plate D, of the ing' directly in line with the bore of the gun, guard e, substantially as and for the purpose a 2 4o or to have a slight ascent or descent, agreater herein described.

strength of spring having a tendency to pro'- duce a depression of the tail and a rise of the projectile, and vice versa. Witnesses: In some cases the steering-plate,of the form S. W. TAYLOR; j i 45 .substantially as described, Vinstead of being FRED@ HAvNEs.

J. ERrossoN. 

